Chapter 216

As the sound of her sobs echoed through the room, each one a plea for Samuel, a storm of emotions raged within Anthony. Jealousy, anger, and compassion swirled within him, each vying for dominance.

Yet, it was compassion that emerged victorious.

Anthony found himself questioning Samuel's entitlement to her love. If he couldn't appreciate it, if he could wound her so deeply, did he truly deserve her? The answer was clear to Anthony; Samuel was undeserving of her.

A spark of malice flickered briefly in Anthony's otherwise gentle eyes.

However, he managed to suppress his anger. He reached out, taking her hand in his, and sat beside her on the bed. His other hand gently stroked Layla's hair as he whispered comforting words, "I'm here. I'm right here..."

His desire was to remain by her side, to offer her solace, even if she saw him as another.

It took nearly half an hour of Anthony's soothing ministrations before Layla's distressed murmurs ceased, and she succumbed to a deep sleep. He carefully tucked her hand under the covers, retrieved his cell phone, and moved toward the window. His scholarly features hardened into a mask of seriousness.

"Bro?" The call connected.

"Are you involved with Samuel now?"

"How did you find out? Did Layla come crying to you? That woman is something else. She gets dumped by Samuel and immediately turns to you, playing the pitiful damsel. She's quick, I'll give her that."

Anthony bristled at Nora's biting tone, "I ran into Layla on the street."

"You believe in coincidence, I don't. How is it that out of all the places in the city, you just happened to cross paths with her? Layla planned this. Are all men, regardless of their intelligence, blind to the schemes of such women?"

"End things with Samuel."

"I've only just started seeing him. Asking us to break up is out of the question," Nora refused flatly.

"Samuel toyed with Layla's feelings before moving on to you. Such an irresponsible man isn't worthy of your love," Anthony cautioned her.

"But that's because Layla wasn't good enough for Samuel. It's not his fault," Nora defended. "I'm different. I match Samuel in both appearance and family background. We're going to get married, and our love will endure."

"Nora, your judgement is clouded by your emotions," Anthony replied, his heart aching for Nora's naivety and concern for her well-being.

"You're the one being manipulated by Layla," Nora retorted. "Samuel dumped her, and now she's latched onto you-doesn't that tell you something? Brother, you should be the one keeping your distance from her."

"I won't abandon Layla."

A silence stretched over the line before Nora spoke again, "Are you planning to marry her?"

"If Layla agrees..."

"You're out of your mind! She's not suitable for you. Our parents would never approve."

"I'll fight for it. Even if I don't have their blessing, I won't back down."

"Have you considered my feelings? You marrying the woman who tried to steal Samuel from me is unthinkable! And I'm supposed to marry Samuel, which complicates things further. I can't deal with this. Seeing Layla every day would drive me mad. Anthony, can't you think about me for once? Am I not your beloved sister? Can't you give up Layla for my sake?"

Staring out at the rain-soaked city beneath the night sky, a resolve hardened in Anthony's eyes.

"I would sacrifice everything for you, Nora, except Layla. Samuel isn't the right man for you, and I hope one day you'll realize that."

After ending the call, Anthony turned to gaze at Layla's pale face, whispering softly, "I'll protect you, Layla. I'll keep you safe always."

Layla had sunk into a profound slumber, her peaceful rest marred by a series of unsettling nightmares.

Upon awakening, she found herself enveloped in a haze of grogginess and weakness. She glanced around, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Where am I? A hotel?" she questioned herself silently.

After a moment's struggle, Layla managed to hoist herself up. The last person imprinted in her memory was Anthony, who had escorted her to the hotel. A sense of reassurance washed over her. She reached for the glass of water perched on the nightstand, her eyes catching sight of an invitation lying next to it. Unfolding it, she discovered it was an invitation to the city's annual charity dinner.

"Would Samuel be attending?" she mused.

"You're awake," Anthony's voice echoed through the room as he entered, bearing breakfast.

"Figuring you wouldn't be up for much, I got you a sandwich and some orange juice. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," Layla nodded, her voice barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry, Anthony, for causing you trouble."

"You will never be a burden to me," Anthony replied, his eyes shimmering with an unfathomable depth of emotion.

However, Layla remained oblivious to Anthony's sentiments. "Are you going to the dinner tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Can you take me with you?" Layla implored urgently.

Anthony's gaze fell, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his pupils as he handed her a glass of orange juice. "Stop seeing Samuel."

Layla bit her lip, her eyes welling up. "I can't accept a breakup without a reason. Samuel must have his difficulties; I need to find him and get it straightened out."

"That's just what you think. Or maybe Samuel just thinks business is more important than you."

Layla shook her head adamantly. "No, Samuel isn't like that. If he were, he wouldn't have chosen me in the first place."

"Did Samuel choose you, or did he just want to possess you? Samuel is a pragmatic man, I don't think he would sacrifice business interests for a woman."

"He's really good to me, truly," Layla stressed.

"A man's kindness before he wins a woman's heart isn't necessarily genuine kindness; it's just a means to an end."

"He's not like that," Layla protested, her fingers clutching the bed sheets tightly.

Anthony wasn't taken aback by such a reaction. Women are often swayed by their emotions.

"It doesn't matter what kind of person Samuel is. What matters is that he's decided to give up on your relationship. Maybe Samuel really does like you. But in his heart, you're not as important as the heir to the Holland Group. If Samuel marries you, the Holland power brokers won't hand over the company to him. Maybe this is the decision he's reached after much consideration."

Layla's eyes brimmed with pain.

Up until that moment, Layla had staunchly believed that Samuel was acting out of necessity, that he loved her. But now, doubt began to seep in.

Anthony, an heir to a fortune himself, understood these matters better than she did.

Could Samuel really...

Layla inhaled deeply. "Even so, I need to hear it from Samuel himself."

"Layla, why subject yourself to such humiliation?" Anthony sighed.

Did she realize how much it pained him to see her in this state?

"Regardless, until I hear it from Samuel, I won't give up hope," Layla declared, her voice laced with heartbreak yet unwavering resolve.

"Fine, I'll take you."

Only if Layla lost all hope could she finally release Samuel and cease tormenting herself with self-pity and despair.

"But I have one condition," Anthony added. "You need to finish eating all this."

"I can't," Layla protested, shaking her head, a sour lump forming in her throat.

"You're really weak right now; if you don't eat something, you're going to pass out again. How will you attend the dinner? You need strength to confront Samuel and get answers, don't you?" Layla's eyes quivered, and after a few seconds of hesitation, she picked up the sandwich and took a numb bite.

She couldn't continue to torment herself like this. She didn't mind if she was starving, but the thought of her unborn child suffering caused her heart to ache.

Did Samuel even want their baby anymore?

The thought soured Layla's heart even further.

Anthony watched her increasingly pale face with a heavy heart.